“Italy appreciates your efforts to create a new political class, and at the same time has an interest in accompanying you in these efforts,” he told the Albanian prime minister at a meeting with the senator and deputy minister of foreign affairs of Italy, Xhuzepe Xhakovazo. Speaking afterwards about the commitment of the Italian government and foreign minister, His Excellency praised the cooperation between our two countries, which has now broadened, and elaborating further on this point, he stressed that Italy wishes to move towards projects and developments across the Albanian economy as a whole. Prime Minister Meksi, after informing him of some results of Albania’s economic reform, praised the increase in agricultural production and also dwelt on the need for infrastructure in Albania. “We are trying to create optimal conditions for foreign investors, within our means,” Meksi continued. The prime minister then welcomed the private Italian initiatives that have begun production in Albania through joint enterprises. The Italian deputy minister spoke of a concrete example of the experience of the Apulian company Filanto, which has been operating in Tirana for almost a year, producing shoes. He also informed Prime Minister Meksi of another initiative by the factory in Puglia, which will soon be implemented through the establishment of colleges for young Albanians, where they will develop their professional skills by producing and selling according to designated specializations. Mr. Meksi described this initiative as a good solution and new support for us. During the meeting, views were also exchanged on information issues and the resources being allocated to this area within our institutions, as well as on creating opportunities for the Italian language to have particular importance in our schools. (ATSH)

Mr. Eduard Selami and Messrs. Bashkim Kopliku and Ali Spahia meet residents of the Mokra area and the city of Pogradec IT IS TRUE THAT THINGS HAVE BEGUN TO IMPROVE ... “We consider the land law the foundation of progress in the countryside.” “The PD will keep its word despite the pressure. The government will support and subsidize the countryside. It will soon bring 2,000 tractors. There is no ‘hunger for bread’ in Mokra.” “We don’t have time to listen to what Nano and the others say all over the place. We want to work, and we want the government to support us.” — March 22 gave the PD the legitimacy to govern for four years. Challenging this legitimacy is never in Albania’s interest. — In recent days, heavy hailstorms caused damage in several villages in the Lower Mokra area. At the invitation and celebration of the residents of this area, yesterday morning the chairman of the PD, Mr. Eduard Selami, visited there, together with Mr. Bashkim Kopliku, deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers and the official responsible for Economic Reform issues; the deputy chairman of the PD and head of its parliamentary group, Mr. Ali Spahia; PD Presidium member Mr. Engjell Hysenbegasi; and MPs Jemin Gjana, Arben Meçe and Kurt Xhepa. — Prosperity, the fruit of ownership, defies destructive propaganda — Thinking of the Mokra area as remote, and bearing in mind the image of people shouting “we want bread,” served up every day on the black pages of “ZP,” anyone would be surprised by the landscape reality offers if they headed these days towards the village of Proptisht—the center of the municipality of the same name in the Lower Mokra area: hillsides, valleys and slopes divided up like squares on a chessboard, all cultivated down to every inch, and [each family has] at least 2 cows, 10 small livestock and its own land. At a minimum, [there is] 1 million lekë in capital, part of it in livestock and other tangible assets, as well as agricultural and livestock products. Yet, in none of the days of “cooperative bliss” was he so poor as to be deprived of opportunities ... Can this man, in this context, be called poor?! — An open dialogue in Proptisht — “Politics in local government is not conducted through grand politics and electoral posturing in the countryside, but through concrete work,” Mr. Selami said at the meeting organized with council members from the municipalities of Proptisht and Velçan, village elders and representatives of all political forces. It was a sincere and open discussion. Mr. Selami then emphasized that we had not viewed the land law as a law for the PD, but as a law to right a historical injustice. It cannot be changed. In his speech, among other things, he said that for the land to yield produce, it must be allocated in fair proportions and given to those who live in the village today. Where there had been no major population movements, it was quite right for land to be received under the law within the former boundaries. But this was not the case everywhere. Now, giving powers to the municipalities is a very fair solution that will resolve problems such as those that have arisen in your area. It is best to avoid conflicts and injustices and find a lasting solution. But we are in Mokra and in a period of transition, so there are hardships and they are felt, said the municipal head: “Since the land area per person is not quite sufficient to support families normally, we are obliged to seek employment from the state or through private initiative. Irrigation is also a problem; we will ask the state to make a stronger effort to manage the water-reservoir system. Meanwhile, since we grow fruit trees, we cannot ensure the collection of the produce or get enough equipment ... to take it to the city. So we set up our own market. We have also established a livestock market, where buyers come from as far away as Korça to buy horses, mules and donkeys. We are also interested in putting the Omez mine back into operation; it is now closed because of the lack of a market, expensive transport, and so on.” Mr. Selami responded that they could very well buy a workshop to produce a product of their own with a monopoly, such as cherries. This is precisely where the state should help them through loans. The head of the Velçan municipality, Mr. Nexhmi Rapçe, also spoke at the meeting. He raised concerns about the division of land in two villages in his municipality and the lack of a paved road in the village of Bishnice, which, despite grand promises made by the communist government for 30 years in a row, remained unpaved. Meanwhile, several hundred villagers were waiting outside. And so the conversation that had begun inside around the tables ... There are 2 cows, at least 10 small livestock, and his own land. He had at least 1 million lek in capital, consisting partly of movable and immovable assets and agricultural-livestock products. So, on none of the days of “cooperative happiness” was he so poor that he could not make use of the opportunities ... Can this man be called poor in this context?!... ...not a single clear word on the question of opening the files... would be surprised by the landscape that reality offers, if he were to travel these days to the village of Proptisht—the center of the commune valleys, and slopes cut into squares like a chessboard, all cultivated in every inch and planted with wheat, corn, and fodder for livestock. It is a landscape that imposes an almost delirious satisfaction on you, as dark images are driven away to where they came from... Cows and small livestock grazing, sheaves stacked beside the fields, cherries, mulberries, walnuts, and other fruit trees—this is the reality of what our eyes saw as we travelled to that Anatyriat. We cannot forget to mention that somewhere our eyes also saw Ndoke ploughing the land with... And yet not a single patch of land was left uncultivated and unplanted, anywhere—a sign of the industrious spirit of the people who love the land. Livestock comes after this. This reality, the fruit of ownership, is the fullest challenge to destructive social-communist propaganda. It is true that there are difficulties. It is also true that we met a farmer there whose assistance had run out after being employed at a state enterprise. There were 8 people in his family, and he had stitched his own shoes with wire. But meanwhile, he had at home It is true that things have begun to improve..." Meanwhile, 90 percent of the land has been divided without problems. The title deeds have been distributed 100 percent, but in 4 of the 15 villages in the commune there have been problems over encroachment on the old boundaries. Mr. Selami is discussing this issue with Proptisht. He says he will help the villagers who have the right under the PD law, but regards it as a law intended to set right a historical injustice. He is unwavering. In his speech, among other things, he said that, bearing in mind the rules of democracy, the PD, with the 67 percent of the votes it received on 22 March, also won the legitimacy to govern for 4 years. This cannot be changed. We are all Albanians here and we are all at the same table, so let us work together. The chairman of the Proptisht commune, Mr. Bujar Belliu, elected to this post on the proposal of the PS, said, among other things: “We thank you and are honored by your interest in us. Now that I am in power, I am concerned that I not devote myself too much to party workers. We have tried to find common ground. I see this meeting as a chance to find common ground too. been problems over encroachment on the old boundaries.

Albania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alfred Serreqi, continued his series of meetings with foreign ministers of member countries of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council. Following the speech by NATO Secretary General Manfred Werner, the plenary session began with discussions by the foreign ministers of the participating countries. (ATSH)

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces that the ministerial meeting of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council opened in Athens. The welcoming speech was delivered by Greek Foreign Minister Mihailis Papakosandinu. (ATSH)

The day before yesterday at noon, the ship “Lukes Line” arrived at the port of Durres and began unloading. It had brought 1,700 tons of flour as aid from the European Community. As part of this same aid, in recent days the Turkish ship “Gardiner” was also unloaded at this port, its cargo of 17,800 tons of wheat having been completely discharged, along with the ship “Liria” of our merchant fleet, carrying 2,350 tons of flour, which is being transported to the districts. (ATSH)

Crime Before the Law Mr. Jorgo Dh.ami, a prosecutor at the General Prosecutor’s Office, asks this in an article of his published on 27.4.1993 in the newspaper “ALTERNATIVA.” I, Mazllem Kasto, interned from childhood and later sentenced to death, ask: Should the judicial proceedings conducted during the communist dictatorship be reopened? I ask you, Mr. Jorgo Dhrami, prosecutor: do the two of us know each other or not? Please do not tell me, “I don’t remember you,” although you may have some right to say so. How could you remember all those who passed through your hands, the experimental guinea pigs in the laboratories of the red dictatorship! In any case, let me help you remember. After my arrest on 8.4.1986, I asked to meet the General Prosecutor, to be sentenced promptly and for the trial to be nothing more than a formality, just for show. But how can I go on? At the beginning of 1987, you confronted me with a member of the Group. Neither he nor I knew each other. And when this “member” mentioned another name instead of mine, you, Mr. Jorgo Dhrami, prosecutor at the General Prosecutor’s Office, calmed down and your face relaxed, because the scenario prepared by the investigators, which was supposed to be made believable through your “so humane” methods, had not worked. Do you remember, Mr. Jorgo Dhrami, prosecutor at the General Prosecutor’s Office, what they had reduced us to?—Flesh swollen and bruised, bones crushed. Man to man, Mr. Prosecutor, you were assigned to oversee the investigation of OUR GROUP, the “espionage group serving Greek espionage.” And do you remember what you said to me, full of anger and arrogance, with “contempt and ridicule”? Weren’t the people who fell into the labyrinths of your laboratories human beings anymore, people of flesh and bone, with their own individuality and personality, with a life and a world of their own, parents, spouses, children, brothers and sisters? In your eyes, these wretches were merely experiment number so-and-so, guinea pig number so-and-so, a number to be used to justify the illegality, violence and terror, servility and hypocrisy, corruption and wickedness of an amoral clique that had distorted the life of an entire people for half a century. This is what you told me: “The charges have been proven and, if I am the prosecutor, I’ll make your skirt very short.” They did shorten my skirt: they sentenced me to be shot. They didn’t put it on me: they didn’t shoot me. The scanner prepared by the investigation team and made to look convincing through three typewritten volumes, signed by Besnik Ymeri, head of the group of investigators) states, among other things, that meetings and gatherings were held in Devoll and Lushnje. They were attended by an 82-year-old saboteur who had come from Greece, Greek intelligence officers and, among others, agents from Devoll, Tirana and Lushnja. Did you really believe all this, Prosecutor Jorgo Dhami, and candidate of juridical sciences”? (Continued on page 4)

The newspaper “Kombi,” dated 10 June 93, on page 4, in an unsigned article entitled “Humor with...,” writes: “If the weapons had been put back in our hands once again, we would have used them to bring down Sali Berisha and Safet Zhulali. We do not intend to reply to this fascist national rag. But we would like to alert the justice authorities. Freedom of speech and of the press has limits. And that limit is where the country’s constitutional laws are violated. In this article, the newspaper “Kombi,” under the guise of humor, openly calls and propagandizes for the overthrow of the democratically elected government by means of violence and force, in the service of Serbian political unionism. It calls for us not to teach two possible agencies and against the Albanians. MENTOR SHEHU

* Authentic documents from “Levande Co,” collected recently, raise the deficit in aid to Albania to more than 10 billion lire, as announced by the State Audit in the Albanian parliament. * New facts further implicate Mr. Nano in the aid-corruption affair. * Nano is asking for help from his accomplices in the PS, whose leaders are in the dock. * For the first aid oil shipment alone, 33,842,200 lire are reported missing. * Simple arithmetic that even Mr. Nano can understand. Nano’s idea of defending himself behind small rallies and political noise, even with information he is trying to obtain from sources that are accomplices and co-participants in corruption, leads us to return once again to the figures and new facts. Specifically, to the area of prices, where manipulation took place to generate the known profits. Specifically, for the oil cargo alone, carried by the ship “PLLADIO,” which departed from Trieste on 17.3.1991 and arrived in Durres on 19.3.1991, the following information is available: 167,040 liters of sunflower oil arrived, packaged in one-liter bottles. The wholesale price per bottle was 810–820 lire per liter. The total value was: 167,040 x 820 = 136,972,800 lire From this, the difference between the invoiced value and the value of the goods including all profit comes to: 180,403.20 - 146,560,900 = 33,842,200 lire that are missing. Where did so many millions of lire disappear to, for oil alone? Why was the oil invoiced at 1,080 lire per liter, when its value on the Italian market was 810–820 lire per liter? CONTINUED ON P.4 figures and new facts. Specifically, liter. The total value was 167,040 x 820 = to: 180,403.20 - 146,560,900 = 33,842,200 lire was 810–820 lire per liter? CONTINUED ON P.4